Today Nintendo finally pulled back the curtains on their newest piece of hardware, the Nintendo Switch.
So if you watch the reveal video on Nintendo’s website, or YouTube, or below, you’ll get an idea about the whole switch-er-oo deal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5uik5fgIaI
The full press release from Nintendo can be found here, but I just wanted to get some thoughts about this thing out now while it’s still fresh in the mind.
Honestly, first thought was “what if you lose one of those damn things?” By things I mean the Joy-Con Controllers, which is a weird name. Just call it a Joy controller. Joy-Con Controller seems redundant. It seems that when you disconnected them from the controller they become like your Wii-Mote but without the cable that connected them together.
Apologies on the blurry image, I grabbed the one below from the video to kind of illustrate things a bit. I’m sure it is just a more ergonomic way to play than holding the two ends separately (which we see in the video in-use on an airplane). Theres also the Switch Pro controller, which looks basically like the Pro controller that already exists for the Wii U now, so that’s not really anything new (aside from potential improvements to motion controls I guess). You can play with just half the controller and your friend can use the other half. It’s versatile from that standpoint for multiplayer use.
Ignoring the cartridges, neat tablet-dock base station, and touch screen controls (I mean, I didn’t really see the touch screen being used in the videos unless someone wants to correct me), it LOOKS cool. The idea is neat, it’s very modular, you can quickly pair up with friends without necessarily lugging around a bunch of cables and cords too. But at some point these batteries need to be recharged, then what? Can you get some standalone portable charging version? Are there ways to charge the controllers from the unit itself? Or does everyone just have to go back to their smartphones while the Switch re-assembles and charges. How long do the batteries last? The tablet itself has a fairly large screen and is (hopefully) HD resolution it’s going to need substantial power to be used for long periods of time, because gamers are going to want to play for hours on end. Now factor in the controller portions needing to last equally as long and it just seems like a bit of a thing you’d need to be cautious with.
Most of these questions will probably be answered in time, but I am skeptical of how long each component can last on it’s own charge, given that in theory that means all components of the Switch will have to have an internal battery. And if the only way to charge it means re-connecting everything that adds a bit of a hassle to it all. Or a bunch of cables and power connectors which is less appealing.
All things aside it does look pretty neat, and it’s exciting to see a reveal of a new console. What are you thinking? Insta-buy or need to hold off till there is more information/more games? I’d keep tabs on Nintendo’s twitter account for more information to drop as the days/weeks carry on.
Feel free to drop a comment below, or tweet us @TheDGCast and let us know your thoughts!
-Written by Andrew(@SoAfterISaid)
